Closure fastener



' March 13,1928.

' C. E. JONES ET AL CLOSURE FASTENER Filed June 5,1927

Inveptor 67E. M ma 20 3 v7 Mao/6x7 Patented Mar. 13, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,662,501 PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. JONES AND DONALD A. WHOOLERY, OF OUTCROP, PENNSYLVANIA.

CLOSURE FASTENER.

Application filed June 3,

The present invention relates to improve ments in closure fasteners andhas for its principal object to provide a latch construction for usemore particularly on boilers for holding the swinging doors of the tirebox of the boiler in a closed position.

One of the important objects of the present invention is to provide aclosure fastener wherein a latch is pivotally carried by the verticallyswinging door, the latch belng mounted on the door in such a manner asto cause the upper end of the latch to be maintained in engagement withthe keeper provided therefor above the door due to the weight of thelatch.

A still further object of the invention 1s to provide a closure fastenerwherein a pair of keepers are provided above and below the verticallyswinging door, the latch assoc ated with the door being of suchconstruction as to be in engagement with the respective keepers forpositively securing the door closed.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a closure fastenerof the above mentioned character which is of such construction as topermit the same tobe readily and easily attached to a boiler withoutnecessitating any material alterations of the parts of the boiler withwhich the present device is associated.

A still further object is to provide a closure fastener which is simplein construction,

inexpensive, strong and durable and further well adapted to the purposefor which it is designed.

Other objects and advantages of the in vention will become apparent fromthe following description of the same.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this application and inwhich like numerals indicate like parts Figure 1 is a fragmentary frontelveation of a boiler showing a pair of cooperating vertically swingingdoors associated therewith and for disclosing more clearly the manner inwhich the present device secures the doors in a closed position.

Figure 2 is a top plan view, and

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 ofFigure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

In the drawing wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown thepreferred embodiment of our invention, the numeral 1 designates thefront of a boiler, the same 1927. Serial No. 196,305.

being provided with a suitable opening for coinnninication with the firebox, and this opening is normally closed by a pair of verticallyswinging doors 2 and 3, respectively, the same being hingedly secured attheir outer ends on-front of the boiler as at 4 in the manner well knownin the art. As clearly shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing theupper edge of each of the doors'is beveled and this is indicated by thenumeral 5.

Our improved closure fastener comprises a pair of substantially doubleL-shaped latch members 6 and 7, respectively, one being provided foreach door, and as these latches are of the same construction, thedescription of one will suffice for the description of both. The latchesare disposed vertically on the outer face oi the doors adjacent theinner opposed free edges thereof and the upper longer arm portion 8 ispivotaliy attached at a point intermediate its ends to the respectivedoors as 21119. .By attaching the latches to the doors in this manner,wherein the same are pivotally mounted onthe doors at points adjacentthe upper ends of the latches, the lower major portions of the latcheswill act as a weight, and this will,

be readily obvious from the construction shown in Figure 1.

The upper end. portion of the longer arm 8 is slightly bent inwardly fordisposition above the beveled portion 5 of each door as indicated at 10and a suitable guide bracket 11 is secured on the beveled portion ofeach door for the reception of the offset portion 10 in the mannerclearly shown in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawing. The extremity of theupper arm 8 is then disposed upwardly for disposition in a planeparallel th the front 1 of the boiler and secured to the front 1 at apoint directly above the meeting edges of the vertically swinging doors2 and 3 is the flat strip of metal 13, the free ends of this strip beingbent to form the keepers 14 and 15 respectively with which cooperate theextremities 12 of the upper ends of the arms of the double L-shapedlatches 6 and 7. In order that the extremities 12 may eflicientlycooperate with the respective keepers, the inner edge portions of theseextremities are slightly bent as shown very clearly in Figure 2.

Similar keepers 16 and17 are secured on the front 1 of the boiler belowthe doors 2 and 3 adjacent the meeting edges thereof and the extremities18 of the lower elongated arms 15) of the double L-shaped hitches 6 and7 cooperate with these keepers in the manner shown very clearly inFigure 1. Suitable guide brackets 20 are secured on the doors adjacentthe lower edges thereof for the lower elongated arms 19 of the double.L-shaped latches.

A handle 21 extends outwardly from the intermediate horizontallydisposed arm :22 of each of the douhle L-shaped latches to facilitatethe actuation ot' the latch members t'or opening the doors in the mannerto be presently described.

By pivotally mounting the latch incu'ihers in the manner as shown andabove described the extremities of the latch members will have atendency to normally be disposed in engagement with the respectivekeepers whereby the doors 2 and 2-3 will be held in a closed positionagainst any possibility of being accidentally opened. Whenever it becomes nemessary to open the doors in order to obtain access to the tirebox oi the boiler, the handles 21 are grasped and the latch members areswung inwardly toward each other, and this swinging movement will resultin the extremities ot the double L shaped latches being brought out ofengagen'ient with their respective keepers, thus permitting the doors 2and 3 to he swune outwardly on their hinges l to an open position.

The provision of a closure fastener ot the above mentioned characterwill insure the positive securing ot' the doors when closed, and due toits simplicity, the closure lastcuer structure will at; all times bepositive and ettieient in its operation and turthermore the device canbe easily and readi1 attached to a boiler without necessitatins anymaterial alterations on the parts of the boiler with which the closurefastener is to be as ociated,

While we have shown the preferred embodiment of our invention it is tobe understood that minor changes may be made in the invention without;departing from the spirit of the same or scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new is:-

1. In a closure fastener for the vertically swinging closure of aboiler, a double L- shaped latch pivoted adjacent its upper end on theclosure, a pair oi" oppositely disposed keepers secured on the hollerabove and bi, low the closure, the weight of the lower end o! the latchtending to normally hold the c:-;tremitics ot the double L-shaped latchin engi'igcmcnt with the respective keepers.

2. In a closure fastener For the swinging doors of a boiler which arehinged at their outer ends on the front ol the boiler, 11 pair of doubleL-shaped latches pivoted adjacent their upper ends on the outer faces ofthe respective swinging doors adjacent the tree edges thereof, the endsof thedouhle L-shapcd latches extending beyond the upper and lower edgesof the doors, and keepers secured on the trout ot the holler above andbelow the doors, the weight of the lower ends of the double L-shapcdlatches tending to normally hold the extremities of said latches inengagement with the respective keepers.

In testimony whereof we atlix our signa' tures.

CHARLES E. JONES. DONALD A. \VHOULERY.

